....posting a question about black powder revolvers in this essentially cartridge domain.

Experts, I am requesting your advice.

I have a Leech and Rigdon clone which I am working on. The barrel to cylinder gap was way wide at about .008 to .009. Seating the wedge tightly did little to correct the problem. I turned the barrel on the arbor and found that there was plenty of room for the barrel to move closer to the cylinder.

So I took the milling machine to the barrel lug as shown below.

I felt like the only alternative was to go to work on the frame itself. As the frame is tapered, I knew it would be very difficult holding it in place for the miling operation. Also, I can get a barrel cheap. That frame is hard to come by at any price approaching a completely new pistol.

This operation closed the gap down to about .004 - .005 which I am very pleased with.

Is there another way to do this operation?

__________________
Doc

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson

The barrel-cylinder gap is generous on BP pistols so that they will continue to operate as they get fouled. .008" does not seem excessive to me. .005" seems a bit close to reliably rotate after firing several rounds, but only testing it will show for sure.

My replica Remington 1858 does that. About 2 or 3 cylinder loadings and it starts to stiffen up. I've never tried using a BP substitute to see if that improved it any? I guess I like the smell of BP too much.

Thanks for the wink back. I load out of the pistol so I can keep the fouling from gumming up the works too much. How about some suggestions on alternative ways to lessen the gap? In your opinion, am I doing it right?

__________________
Doc

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson

No, you did it the only way you could, but of course you now may have to get or make a new wedge to keep the barrel in the right position. You might have had to drill the holes for the pins deeper, but that seems to have worked OK.

I will join those who saw nothing wrong with the original gap; I consider .007" about ideal in a modern revolver but the factories usually consider .010" to be within spec.

Another issue, though. In discussing a tight b/c gap in revolvers (old or new), most people focus on fouling. But another problem is heat. After firing rapidly, a cylinder heats up and expands lengthwise. If the b/c gap is too tight, the gun will bind up until the cylinder cools down. And yes, even a fast six shots from a c&b revolver can do that if the gap is too tight.

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